Herb-Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Sage Reviews

We hit upon our favorite recipe a few summers back, when we helped out a buddy with his annual Labor Day pig roast in Connecticut. In addition to the 125-pound porker we were planning to serve, we decided we should have some chicken just in case not everyone at the party wanted to partake of the sacred swine. We got about 100 birds, halved them, and soaked them in a simple marinade of just lemon, sage, and cracked black pepper. It turned out to be one of the first times—maybe the only time—there was a pig roast where chicken was the hit of the day. What really made it special was the marinade. It lent a nice acidity to the meat, which became really tender, and the sage and lemon flavors just exploded. For the most classic presentation, roast a whole bird and carve it tableside. If you want an especially crispy, golden-skinned chicken, have your butcher halve it, and roast the halves skin side up so they can self-baste as they roast.

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3/4

Couldn't find 3-3.5 # chicken used 4# from Publix. Followed recipe. White meat was moist and subtly flavored with lemon and sage. Very good then and few days later. For us its a solid recipe - one that I can make w/o fear. I don't like the fat pockets left around the chicken legs but don't know how to get around that problem. Will make 5 for Easter Dinner.

porge
from south
/ 02.25.2016

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Made this as an alternative to turkey this year at Thanksgiving since I was cooking for two. Cut the carrots lengthwise to ensure they were cooked through. They were perfect and the chicken was delicious. Not overly sagey. The chicken was beautifully browned with starting it in a very hot oven. I will definitely make this again.

khilgemeier
from San Francisco
/ 11.29.2013

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Terribly disappointing! I love sage, and I love lemon with chicken,but this was just blah. Worse, the root vegetables, particularly the carrots, didn't cook thoroughly, and the pan juices were watery. I saved the chicken for sandwiches, and threw the rest out.